(CNN)A right-wing group protesting Islamic law, or Sharia, on Saturday clashed with counterdemonstrators in Seattle, Minneapolis and other cities.

ACT for America organized the marches in more than two dozen cities, saying on its website that “Sharia is incompatible with Western democracy and the freedoms it affords.” The Southern Poverty Law Center says ACT for America is the largest grassroots anti-Muslim group in America.

In Seattle, police used pepper spray to break up fights in Occidental Park, police spokesman Mark Jamieson said. Three people were arrested.

Earlier in the day, the anti-Sharia group rallied at City Hall Plaza while a much larger group gathered nearby, with the two groups separated by police, he said. The counterprotesters yelled and sounded horns to drown out the anti-Sharia group, CNN affiliate KOMO reported.

“At the conclusion of the rally the large group returned to Occidental Park,” Jamieson said in a news release. “Officers continued to monitor the crowds and separate the opposing groups, but shortly after 12:30 a large fight broke out. Officers used pepper spray to break up the crowd. Officers arrested one woman and two men for obstructing.”

‘A bit rowdy’

Seven people were arrested at the Capitol in St. Paul, the Minnesota State Patrol tweeted from its official account. No injuries have been reported.

In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, two people were arrested — one for disorderly conduct and a second for striking a state police horse, said Troy Thompson of Capitol Police.

The anti-Sharia protest organizer in Seattle, Anthony Parish of Kent, told KOMO the group came out to show opposition to practices like the mutilation of young girls and honor killing — issues mentioned on the ACT for America webpage.

The word Sharia means “the path,” or “a road that leads one to water.” It refers to a set of principles that govern the moral and religious lives of Muslims. Sharia is based on Islam’s holy book, the Quran, and the life of Prophet Mohammed.

Portland protest called off

The March Against Sharia gained prominence a few weeks ago after two men were fatally stabbed on a Portland commuter train, allegedly by a man shouting anti-Muslim slogans at two young women, one of whom was Muslim.

Mayor Ted Wheeler asked that the previously scheduled March Against Sharia in Portland be called off to avoid the possibility of violence.

Organizers canceled the event and urged supporters to attend the Seattle protest.